MISCELLANEOUS.

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 301, 17 December 1867, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The flop/en Zeituwj (Hop Gazette), of Nuremberg, gives aome curious statistics respecting the consumption of beer in Europe. The average quantity consumed by each porson, in the year 1860, was 27 quarts, but it differs greatly in the various countries. In Bavaria thy aveiv. age ia 134 quarts •> in Eu.gla.ud> 113 ; iv Wurtembnrg, 104 ; in Belgium, 80 ; in Brunswick, b'S ; in Thuringia, 00 ; in Saxony, 39 ; in Holland, 39 ; in Baden, 31 ; in Austria, 22 ; in Switzerland, 20 ;in Prussia, 19G ; in France, 10 ; in Sweden, 11*5 in Spain, 2 ; in Russia, 13 ; in Italy, 1 ; and in Portugal, 08. Of the capitals of Europe, Munich relatively consumes ihe most beer, the average drunk by each of its inhabitants being 427 quarts a year. The Londoner drinks on the average 188 quarts a year ; the Viennese, 131 ; the Frankfurter, 43 ; the Berliner, 23 ; and the Parisian, 22. [ The wonderful French cannon the construction of which is supposed to baaprc* found sQcret > can be fired, it is said, 40 or 50 times a minute. It carries with ac~ curacy 2.000 yards, and a single discharge j would destroy the whole front of a bat-* talion. It is sq light that two men can easily lift it, The Sultan, as a first consequence of ' his risifc ho the West, has ordered, his ( Ministers to improve the finances, the army, the marine, and the administration of jv stice, which is extremely satisfactory, as satisfactory as^an order to them to double tne yield of every acre of land. He is, however, resolved, it is said, on a practical measure, the creation of a new Divan, with ten Mussulmans and ten Christians. If this is carried out, the ten Mussulmans will be of course the heads of all important departments in the State, the ten Christians lesser officials with no real power ; hut the appearance of equality will perhaps help to float another loan. The Sultan wishes, no doubt, thai he were head of an European organization, but it is hard, if not impossible, to carve upon rotten wood. A most strange story is told in the last number of tliQ Land and Water (London), by that excellent naturalist, Mr Frank Buckland. It is a description of the performances of a man named Cooper, who, «n<3er the title "Natator," is exhibiting at Cremorne. This, man. eatSj drinks, dances, rolls about like a porpoise, and, most marvellous of all, smokes (without letting his pipe out) beneath the surface of the water in a huge aquarium, through, the glass-front of which all Iris motions can be very plainly seen. The difficulty of performing these tricks so as to avoid the entrance of water to the lungs is enormous, and the fatigue which they produce is very great. When the performer emerges from the water his pulse is at 148, but in twenty minutes it sinks to 92 ; and it appears that his general habit is excellent. Mr Buck.land hints at v - strange phenomena." which are revealed by auscultation of the heart and lungs of Cooper ; and we doubt not that a great number oi medical men will examine bhis very inberesbiitg case ior themselves, in order, if possible, to discover the means by which nature can "accommodate the machinery of an airbreathing animal to long stays in an element orJy suited for the existence of fish and other cold-blooded vertebrafca," Not a Woman. — An action was recently tried in Sydney, brought by the proprietor of the Caxton printing office against the defendant, one of the alleged partners in "Cooke, Zoyara, and Wilson's" circus, to recover the sum of L 45 4s §d, balance of account for printing play bills, &c. The action itself was not of importance, but it elicited the following extraordinary piece of evidence from Mr Cooke, who said " that he was not a partner of Zoyara's. Last saw the person called Mademoiselle Zoyara in Melbourne, when about leaving for India. Zoyara. was a man, and married ; but from the time he Wcis four years of age dressed in female apparel. His proper name is Omar Kingsley. He invariably dressed as a lady. In England and Europe he passed as a lady. He was introduced as Mademoiselle, or Madam Zoyara. It was also known in Melbourne. Could not say whether he took up Ms position in the iadies' cabin when travelling or not. He might or might not. Zoyara, from childhood, dressed as a female. And when he became celebrated still retained the dress of a lady." It appears that a soft young gentleman followed the s»2>pDsed lady to Sydney ■with matrimonial intentions.